


Human Dichotomy

by Zenece



Category: Star Trek: Voyager
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-07-15
Updated: 2013-07-15
Packaged: 2017-12-20 06:53:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,679
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/884257
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zenece/pseuds/Zenece
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Humanity defies all logic.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Human Dichotomy

~ ~ ~

“Captain, I wish to speak with you.” 

Kathryn was on her way to engineering to check on progress with the warpcore diagnostic B’Elanna was conducting. She glanced sideways as the ex-Borg fell into step with her.   
“What’s on your mind Seven?”

“I have a question concerning human relationships.” Seven stated. There was a trace of curiosity discernable in her voice, if anyone cared to listen close enough to pick it up. 

Kathryn nodded curtly, indicating for Seven to keep walking with her. Her mind was partially occupied with upcoming engineering business.   
“Yes?” She said briskly.

“Explain the purpose of your relationship with Lieutenant Torres.” Seven asked in her typical straightforward way, effectively yanking Kathryn’s mind to the present. 

Stopping dead in her tracks, Kathryn grabbed the other woman’s arm, turning her around. “I beg your pardon?” 

Seven seemed unfazed. “You and Lieutenant Torres are not capable of producing offspring, so I do not understand the purpose of your bond.”

With each word, Kathryn’s face became a little more flustered until it was a nice shade of red.   
“Not here.” She hissed, quickly checking around to see if any of the crew had heard them. She pulled Seven with her, entering the closest room available. It was a storage room, thankfully deserted.

“Captain?” Seven asked with her metallic eyebrow raised in confusion. 

Kathryn briefly considered denying the whole thing. But as she looked up at the bright eyes in front of her, she knew that Seven wouldn’t be fooled easily.   
“Who else knows?” She asked sharply. 

“Knows what?” Seven asked, trying to make sense of her Captain’s odd behavior. 

“That Lieutenant Torres and I are... romantically involved.” She explained impatiently. “Who told you?” 

Seven cocked her head slightly. “I have observed several signs of a romantic attraction between you and Lieutenant Torres.” 

“Have you told anyone else?” Kathryn asked tensely. 

“No.” Seven stated. 

Kathryn relaxed marginally. Neither she nor B’Elanna were ready to let their new-found relationship be public knowledge at this point.   
“I would appreciate it if you didn’t tell anyone else yet.” 

Seven nodded compliantly. “As you wish.” 

“Thank you.” Kathryn breathed a small sigh of relief.

“Without the possibility of procreation, I do not understand the purpose of your bond.” Seven picked up on her original question. 

Kathryn frowned, slightly puzzled. “The purpose of human relationships is not procreation, Seven. People get into relationships because they love each other.” 

“The result is the same: love leads to sexual intercourse which results in procreation. That implies love is nothing but an instinctual pretext that insures the survival of your species.” Seven replied. “However your love will not result in conception. It is illogical.” 

Kathryn tilted her head slightly. “Human beings are not slaves to procreation. What separates us from lower life forms is precisely that ability to control our instinctual urges. We’ve evolved to the point where people decide whether or not to procreate, whatever nature’s intentions are.”

“Then the evolution of humanity is contributing to its own demise.” Seven stated. “The instinctual need to procreate essentially insures the survival of a species. If with the evolution of a species comes the ability to go against its natural instincts of procreation then the evolution of a species is counterproductive to its survival.”

Kathryn raised an eyebrow. “You’re assuming that quantity automatically supercedes quality.”

“Quality is irrelevant if it leads to the extinction of a species.” Seven countered. 

“Is it?” Kathryn asked. “In these last few months aboard Voyager, you’ve had a chance to experience the concepts of individuality and free will, Seven. Both concepts you’ve indicated on several occasions might lead to the downfall of the human race in your opinion. But do you really think you could give these aspects of your life up and go back to being a drone, a slave to your programming, living in function of the survival of a collective?”

Seven remained silent for a moment, considering the option.   
“No.” She stated after a moment. 

Kathryn smiled sympathetically, placing a hand on Seven’s upper arm. “Survival of the species is not our main purpose in life. Thanks to evolution we are capable of exploring new aspects in life that are only accessible if we choose not to be slaves to our instincts.”

Seven cocked her head slightly to the left. “And that is why you chose to be in a relationship with Lieutenant Torres?” She inquired. 

“In a way, yes.” Kathryn said after a moment’s thought. 

“I understand.” Seven stated. “Thank you Captain.”

With that, she headed for the door of the storage room. 

Surprised, Kathryn stared at her retreating back. “Anytime.”   
Then she grinned and shook her head.

~ * ~

B’Elanna was lying on her side, comfortably curled up against her lover. Their lovemaking had been sensual and electric and afterwards they had been enjoying a quiet and intimate togetherness. 

She lifted her arm and lazily started drawing patterns on Kathryn’s abdomen.   
After a while she propped her head up on her elbow and studied her lover’s face. 

“You seem distracted.” She said softly, leaning down to kiss the tip of Kathryn’s nose. 

“Mmm.” Kathryn murmured and gave B’Elanna a quick half-smile before staring at the ceiling again. 

B’Elanna softly stroked her cheek, knowing how Kathryn liked these slow caresses.   
“So what’s on your mind beautiful?” She inquired gently.

“Do you ever think maybe we should settle down on an M-class and start a new life for ourselves here in the Delta Quadrant?” Kathryn offered, noncommittally.

B’Elanna rested her hand lightly on the side of Kathryn’s neck. “And give up on going home?” She asked. “Why would we do that?” 

“Because this journey will most likely get us all killed at one point.” Kathryn said hoarsely. 

Frowning slightly, B’Elanna wondered what had brought on this train of thought. “So we shouldn’t even try?” 

Kathryn shook her head lightly. “It’s not that. It’s just... I’m responsible for this crew and maybe it’s up to me to make the hard decisions for the greater good.” 

“And what’s the greater good?” B’Elanna asked carefully. 

Kathryn paused, clenching the muscles in her jaw.   
“Survival.” She answered after a beat.

B’Elanna briefly closed her eyes as it suddenly made sense to her. 

Kathryn’s conversation with Seven of Nine the day before had undoubtedly awakened her self-questioning side. She wanted to know whether or not she was doing the right thing by leading her crew on this almost impossible journey.   
But this was a blessing, B’Elanna knew, that only Kathryn could give herself. 

After a moment’s silence, B’Elanna spoke softly. “It’s not enough to just live, you have to have something to live for. And I think we’re lucky. We have Earth to live for, our homes and our families. We have hope, and that is what truly makes us feel alive.”

She saw how Kathryn was absorbing the words, inwardly offering them to the questioning voices that tormented her.  
B’Elanna hoped that she would be able to silence them.

“Even if settling here would mean we’d survive physically,” B’Elanna continued, “the knowledge that we gave up on reaching the Alpha Quadrant would kill us in the end.”   
She paused briefly. “There’s a difference between living and surviving. And as ironic as it may sound; this crew can’t settle for survival, they need to live even if it kills them.”

Kathryn remained silent after B’Elanna’s discourse, but B’Elanna did notice that some of the tension in her lover’s body had dissipated. She resumed softly tracing the lines of Kathryn’s face and smiled when she felt her lips purse to softly kiss the fingers tracing her mouth.

“When you offered the crew to settle on the planet with the 37’s two years ago, none of them stayed. Everyone seriously considered it, and yet they all chose not to. They chose to try to get home. Every single one of them decided that survival wasn’t enough. And you know why? Because it simply isn’t.” B’Elanna stated.

Kathryn closed her eyes briefly. “I don’t think I’ve ever been as relieved as I was back then.” She whispered. “I was sure there would be so many... So many who were tired of the journey, tired of Starfleet, tired of hoping for something that might never come... I wouldn’t have blamed them if they’d have chosen a more simple life.” 

“I thought about it too. How it would be to get away from this Starfleet life in space.” B’Elanna said slowly. “And I realized that I just couldn’t give it up. I’m a rebel without a cause, but with a cause, you know? I couldn’t help but feeling that I would die a little inside if I stayed.”

Kathryn softly shook her head, smiling slightly. “Still, get home or die trying? It doesn’t exactly sound like a lifesaving idea. Seven has a point when she says that humanity defies all logic.”   
But the tone of her voice made it clear that she’d didn’t mean it seriously.

“It’s what we do best.” B’Elanna grinned.

Kathryn turned her head and saw the sparkle in her lover’s eyes. “You just live to defy, don’t you?” 

B’Elanna leaned closer to kiss Kathryn playfully. “You know I do.”

“I thought so.” Kathryn murmured as she snuggled closer to her lover, suddenly feeling how tired she was. 

“And you should get some sleep.” B’Elanna whispered in Kathryn’s ear as she heard her yawn. She tucked the covers around them. 

As Kathryn was falling asleep, B’Elanna studied her face, thinking about the conversation they’d just had.   
This was what made Kathryn Janeway a true leader, she thought. She was strong and decisive when it was required, but she had the capacity to question herself from time to time to make sure that she was indeed serving the best interests of the people depending on her decisions.  
It was a quality B’Elanna admired greatly in her lover. 

She studied the face of her lover as she mumbled something unintelligible in her sleep and felt a surge of love for the woman.   
Sure, humanity defies logic, she thought. All the best things do...

~ ~ ~


End file.
